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WE’RE BACK: Score returns today from its month-long hiatus, during which James retired a healthy chunk of the sleep debt he accumulated over the last two years. Going forward, Emily Schultheis, who helped out with Score last fall, will become an official part of the Score team. Through 2013, Score will hit your inbox every Tuesday morning before returning to daily production next year. As always, send tips, comments, corrections and suggestions to both of us.

RICHARD BEN CRAMER, R.I.P.: One of the greatest writers of our age died yesterday of lung cancer. He was 62. His 1,049-page book on the 1988 election, “What It Takes,” is a masterwork. He covered politicians as people, helping us understand everyone from Bob Dole to Joe Biden in a way we otherwise never would. Jonathan Martin wrote this piece reflecting on the book overnight: http://goo.gl/IJYUJ. Buy it: http://politi.co/WHzfvA. His 1986 profile of Ted Williams is worth printing out for your lunch break today: http://bit.ly/WHzird

SNEAK PEEK—NRCC MOCKS DEMS OVER $1 TRILLION COIN IDEA: The National Republican Congressional Committee will announce an online petition today urging House Democrats to say they don’t think a $1 trillion coin should be minted to pay down the debt. It’s an attempt to get some earned media ahead of the debt ceiling fight and center the conversation on the deficit. Seven Democrats will be targeted with customized releases (photos of their faces on $1 trillion coins), including Jim Matheson (UT-04), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Tim Walz (MN-01), Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) and Nick Rahall (WV-03). Check out the graphic that will be circulated to local press in Georgia against John Barrow: http://bit.ly/WHz2bE. Here’s the microsite: http://bit.ly/TIgPx4

The debt ceiling could be reached as early as FEBRUARY 15, according to a report released yesterday by the Bipartisan Policy Center: http://bit.ly/TIgR8h

NEW YORK MAYOR PREVIEW – MCDONALD HIRES TOP NRCC AIDE: Republican George McDonald, who’s expected to announce his candidacy for New York City mayor on Thursday, has tapped former NRCC aide Brock McCleary and his polling outfit, Harper Polling, to help with his campaign. Harper, a new firm, hopes to serve as the Republican counterpart to the Democratic robopolling firm Public Policy Polling. Other McDonald hires include Lynn Krogh, who served as political director for Rick Lazio’s 2010 campaign, and GOP strategist Vince Casale. Winning in New York City as a Republican is tough, given Democrats’ huge voter registration advantage – and McDonald, who heads the homeless charity the Doe Fund and comes into the race with low name ID in the city, would still have to win in a likely crowded GOP primary field.

(5) Does Mark Sanford decide to run for Tim Scott’s congressional seat?

THE HAGEL CALCULUS—“For Democrats, there’s a peril of crossing a reelected president—but also the risk of backing someone with whom their pro-Israel and gay supporters, along with some donors, aren’t entirely comfortable,” POLITICO’s Maggie Haberman reports. “At minimum, senators will be under pressure to extract as much from Hagel as they can before saying they’ll support him.”

2014 Republicans have disincentive to support Hagel: “Republicans whose seats come up in 2014 — and who don’t have much love for Hagel in the first place — don’t want to give fodder to potential primary challengers by casting a vote for the president’s defense pick, whose comments about the ‘Jewish lobby’ and Iran sanctions have been widely circulated. A number of senators who could face primaries — such as John Cornyn of Texas, Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Pat Roberts of Kansas, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina — have nothing clear to gain politically by supporting Hagel. Graham was among the most vocal critics on the Sunday’s morning show circuit…It is unclear whether Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who helped shepherd through the fiscal cliff deal, will be supportive of Hagel or would back a filibuster.” http://politi.co/TIgMSa

POLL OF THE DAY – FISCAL CLIFF WINNERS AND LOSERS: President Barack Obama won the fiscal cliff standoff against congressional Republicans by a landslide, a Pew Research poll out Monday found. Overall, 57 percent of U.S. adults surveyed said Obama got more of what he wanted from the legislation, compared with just 20 percent who said Republican leaders did. Those numbers were even starker among Republicans: 74 percent of GOPers said Obama got more of what he wanted, compared with only 11 percent who said Republicans did. The full survey results: http://bit.ly/VyU5hH

MASSACHUSETTS SENATE SPECIAL – WHO WILL PATRICK PICK? With Democratic Rep. Ed Markey the sole Democrat so far in the race and no decision yet from Scott Brown, attention in the Bay State has turned to who Gov. Deval Patrick will appoint to fill John Kerry’s seat temporarily until the election is held. Just-departed Rep. Barney Frank has made no secret he wants it, saying he’d like a few more months in Congress to help conclude the fiscal cliff battle. Patrick said Frank would be “a great senator,” but that he has “a lot of factors” to consider when making the pick. Patrick aide Doug Rubin, who also advises Sen. Elizabeth Warren, said Democrats have “better options” than Frank, criticism that Frank pushed back on Monday. http://bo.st/VHo5dg

PARTY COMMITTEE MINDMELDS ON THE RACE—

NRSC: “Scott Brown remains very popular with voters and he'd be a strong candidate if he decides to run. Despite the tens of millions of dollars spent against him, it says a lot that Scott still has a strong fav/unfav. At the moment though, the drama is all on the Democrats’ side where the Washington establishment has rallied behind a moderate candidate who has spent most of the last 30 years at his home in Maryland, and not Massachusetts. Clearly several of Congressman Markey’s more-left leaning Democratic colleagues are aware of that as well so it’s not surprising to see the growing backlash against his attempted anointment. But it’s still early in the process for both parties so we will see how the weeks ahead play out.”

DSCC: “There will not be a repeat of the 2010 special. Every Massachusetts and national Democrat from President Obama and the DSCC on down are all committed to making sure Democrats win this seat. Democrats are already focused on energizing the Patrick/Warren field operations and are extremely confident that turn out will be far better than January 2010. In 2012, Scott Brown was the ONLY Republican incumbent to lose, and voters already know that Brown is ideologically out of step with Massachusetts, a state that President Obama won by 23 percentage points. Brown lost by a surprisingly large margin - 8 points - and the more he personally attacked Elizabeth Warren, the more his unfavorable ratings rose. Like Warren, Ed Markey has spent his career fighting for middle class families and working people. Markey has the experience, resources, organization and personal appeal to beat Scott Brown and take on the Tea Party in Washington.”

NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR – CHRISTIE WANTS TO BREAK 50 PERCENT: Chris Christie, who’s up for reelection this fall but still has not drawn a big-name Democratic challenger, told the Star-Ledger that he’s aiming to clear the 50 percent threshold in November – a high bar for a Republican in a statewide race in blue New Jersey. “I’d consider that to be a real affirmation of my time in office and my vision for the future,” he said. He added that he’d be “more ready” to run for president in 2016 than he would have been in 2012. The full story: http://bit.ly/UwgdrK

MORE FROM NEW JERSEY – POLL GIVES CHRISTIE HUGE ADVANTAGE: A Fairleigh Dickinson poll out of New Jersey shows Christie with sky-high approval ratings among the state’s voters and a huge lead over any of his potential Democratic challengers. His approval rating statewide stands at 73 percent, including 62 percent of Democrats who approve. In head-to-head matchups with potential Democratic opponents, Christie is well above 50 percent: against state Sen. Steven Sweeney he’d win 65-19; against state Sen. Barbara Buono, he’d win 64-21; and against state Sen. Richard Codey, Christie is ahead 59-26.

DGA MINDMELD: “Following voters’ overwhelming rejection of the Republican Party in November, GOP leaders pledged to support candidates focused on job creation rather than divisive social issues. But instead of moderating, Virginia Republicans will nominate Ken Cuccinelli, whose brand of Tea Party extremism is hostile toward women, students, and middle class families. It's a recipe for disaster for Republicans in Virginia and across the country and they know it - LG Bill Bolling has refused to endorse Cuccinelli and is openly mulling an independent bid of his own. While the GOP infighting continues, Democrats are united behind Terry McAuliffe, the one candidate in the race with a proven record of job creation and working across the aisle in the commonwealth.”

RGA MINDMELD: “Ken Cuccinelli’s experience serving the Commonwealth as Attorney General will compare favorably to the extreme partisan record of former DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe. As Attorney General and a former state legislator elected in Northern Virginia, Cuccinelli understands the challenges facing middle class Virginians, has a firm grasp on state issues and will run a policy-driven campaign focused on the pocketbook issues voters care most about. … Meanwhile Chairman McAuliffe spent the last two decades as a Democratic fundraiser showing no interest in Virginia until running a losing gubernatorial campaign. While Chairman McAuliffe’s dubious business claims are already being exposed, what should alarm him the most is that the more Virginians got to know him during his 2009 campaign the less they liked him. He spent $91 per vote losing to Creigh Deeds in the primary – that ought to make the Chairman himself blush.”

RNC CHAIRMAN’S RACE – PRIEBUS DRAWS A CHALLENGER: RNC Chairman Reince Priebus, who’s running for a second term and has wide support from the 168-member committee, got his first official challenger Monday: Maine Committeeman Mark Willis. Willis, a Ron Paul supporter elected to the Maine GOP last May amid a wave of Paul supporters announced he’d challenge Priebus at the RNC’s Winter Meeting in Charlotte later this month. Given Priebus’s almost universal support from RNC members, it’s unlikely that Willis will have any real effect on the voting process. http://bit.ly/VyX6yw

MARK YOUR CALENDARS – HALEY SETS DATES IN SC HOUSE SPECIAL: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley set the dates to fill now-Sen. Tim Scott’s House seat: the primary will be March 19, with any runoffs on April 2 (if no candidate gets to 50 percent) and a general election on May 7, per the AP. Two major South Carolina figures who say they’re considering the race: former Gov. Mark Sanford and his ex-wife, Jenny Sanford. The 1st district, which is in the Charleston area and leans Republican, is also drawing interest from a handful of local pols, among them state Sens. Tom Davis, Larry Grooms and Chip Campsen, as well as state Reps. Chip Limehouse, Peter McCoy and Jim Merrill. State Sen. Paul Thurmond, son of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond who lost to Scott in the 2010 primary, announced last week that he won’t run. http://on.wltx.com/VyUMYa

CANDIDATES FILE FOR ILLINOIS HOUSE SPECIAL: Twenty-two candidates have filed to run for Jesse Jackson Jr.’s Chicago-area congressional seat by the Monday deadline: 17 Democrats and five Republicans. The primary is set for Feb. 26 and the general election will be held March 19. The AP: “Democratic candidates include former state Rep. Robin Kelly, Chicago Alderman Anthony Beale, state Sen. Toi Hutchinson, state Sen.-elect Napoleon Harris and former U.S. Rep. Mel Reynolds. Republican candidates include conservative commentator Lenny McAllister.” http://trib.in/VHk1tu

ASSIGNMENT EDITORS:The Supreme Court has set the dates for oral arguments on two same-sex marriage cases. On March 26, it will hear Hollingsworth v. Perry, on California’s Prop 8; on March 27, it will hear U.S. v. Windsor, on whether the Defense of Marriage Act is constitutional. http://politi.co/Uwfsz5

ALSO: The Supreme Court will hear Shelby County v. Holder, a challenge to the Voting Rights Act, on Feb. 27 — a decision that could have a big impact on voter ID legislation and other voting restrictions going forward.

2014 NEWS—

NEW JERSEY SENATE – BOOKER STILL WAITING FOR LAUTENBERG: Cory Booker, the Newark mayor who’s all but certain to run for Senate next year, said Monday that he hasn’t managed to get face time with Sen. Frank Lautenberg to talk about the race and whether the veteran New Jersey Senator intends to run again. “I had a plane trip going down to meet with him and unfortunately, with a lot of the challenges going down in Washington, he had to cancel the meeting," Booker said on CNN Monday, adding that he has “deep respect and love” for Lautenberg. http://bit.ly/VHoso9

PPP: CORBETT APPROVAL PLUMMETS: He still has two years until his reelection, but Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett looks like he’ll need every minute. A new survey out from Public Policy Polling shows that only 38 percent of voters approve of his tenure in office, compared with 52 percent who disapprove. And up against potential Democratic challengers in the state, his numbers sit in the low 40s: if former Gov. Ed Rendell were to run again, Corbett would lose to him 46 percent to 40 percent; Corbett would tie Attorney General Kathleen Kaine at 42 percent. Full results from the poll: http://bit.ly/VyFAKH

2016 WATCH—

SCOTT WALKERwill moderate in the second half of his first term: The governor “vows that none of the legislation he supports this session will prompt massive protests like those that rocked the state Capitol soon after he became governor in 2011… ‘It's just not going to happen again,’ Walker told the State Journal in a recent interview.” http://bit.ly/WHyvqd

RAND PAUL is in Israel: In Jerusalem yesterday, the Kentucky senator “called for a gradual reduction of American foreign aid, delivering the message in an unlikely venue — since Israel is among the top recipients of American assistance,” according to the AP. http://fxn.ws/TIgFG9

HILLARY CLINTON returned to work yesterday: The State Department says she’ll testify on Benghazi while still Secretary of State, but “the scheduling of Clinton's appearance would not be worked out with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee until after the presidential inauguration,” the L.A. Times reports. http://lat.ms/WHyqCU

BATTLEGROUND BRIEFING—Recent stories you might have missed from real America:

FLORIDA—Rick Scott’s approval rating sags in the Tampa region: “Almost twice as many adults in Pinellas and Hillsborough gave Scott a subpar rating than those who gave him a passing mark, according to a Tampa Bay Times/Bay News 9/AM 820 News poll,” per the Tampa Bay Times. “Only 23 percent rated Scott's job performance as ‘good’ or ‘excellent,’ while 42 percent said they rated him as doing a ‘poor’ or ‘not so good’ job. Those who rate him "average" made up 27 percent of the respondents.” Poll: http://bit.ly/WHyanp. An assessment of his first two years: http://hrld.us/WHy676

MISSOURI—“On Saturday, the Missouri Republican State Committee elected Ed Martin to serve as party chairman, voting 34 to 32 against incumbent David Cole,” reports PoliticMo: http://bit.ly/WHy2Eq

IOWA—“A.J. Spiker won re-election as chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa on Saturday despite fierce GOP in-fighting that has resulted in a slump in financial support to the organization and other problems,” per the Des Moines Register. “Spiker, a former Ron Paul campaign staffer, claimed 13 votes from the 18-member Iowa Republican state central committee.” http://dmreg.co/WHxXAC

MORE ON IOWA—The state now has the most collective days of Senate service, according to Smart Politics. Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin have together been in office for 60.1 years. Michigan’s Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow are a dxistant second with 46.1 years. See how other states stack up: http://goo.gl/SwTwE

ARIZONA—“Gov. Jan Brewer says she is open to addressing gun-control issues in the upcoming Legislative session, which begins Jan. 14. Her remarks, made to the media Monday morning following an inauguration event of state officials, may indicate a willingness to consider options to prevent such shootings in Arizona in the wake of the Dec. 14 Sandy Hook shootings,” the Republic reports. http://bit.ly/WHxSNg